The International conference “Europe and the Balkans – to be or not to be” was organized to mark the tenth anniversary of the Skopje Declaration, which was developed with the contributions of many European and Balkan intellectuals. With this act later, in October 2017, the Academy was established in Bucharest, Romania. The founding assembly, made up of 17 members from across Southeast Europe, chose the legendary Romanian artist and Minister of Culture, Ion Caramitru, as its first president.
The conference was held on January 21, 2025, in the hall of the Cinematheque of Macedonia. Among others, participants included Jean-Patrick Conrad, President of the European Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters, and Prince Nikola Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro, President of the Njegoš Foundation. Opening speeches on the theme were given by Jordan Plevnesh, Ljubomir Kekenovski, and Zendelabedin Shehi, alongside numerous leading intellectuals from the fields of science and art from several Balkan countries.
With the support of the Ministry of Culture of Romania, for the first time, the “Ion Caramitru” award for 2024 was presented to the great director Tiago Rodrigues, Director of the International Theater Festival in Avignon, France. Additionally, the “Europa Prima” award was given to the French writer Sylvestre Clancier, President of the Mallarmé Academy in Paris.
The conference also presented the winners of the “Actor of Europe 2025” award, which was given to the renowned German actor and director Brian Michaels, as well as the “Great Charter – The Balkans is the Heart of Europe” award, which went to academician Gradimir Gojer from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In this context, the “Grand Prix International” award for academic institutions was promoted, and it was presented to the Institute for Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Seismology (IZIIS) at UKIM – Skopje, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of this important institution.
The Macedonian municipality of Konče was declared the "Treasury of European Cultural Heritage," and “SEE Personality 2025” went to Mayor Zlatko Ristov.
The recently published proceedings of the eleventh Macedonian-American conference on science and art, by the Universities of Chicago and Arizona, were presented by Prof. Dr. Maja Jakimovska-Tošić.
Furthermore, new members of the Academy from the field of art were elected and promoted by General Secretary Prokopiev, and from the field of science by Prof. Dr. Ljubomir Kekenovski.
Co-organizers of the event included the European Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Literature, the Balkanica Europea Academy, the International University Europa Prima, and the EU Institute in Skopje.

ADDRESS OF PRINCE NICOLAS PETROVICH NJEGOSH

Ladies and Gentlemen,
First of all, I would like to say how very sorry I am not to have been able to free myself up to be with you during these days devoted to a subject that is particularly close to my heart, being myself European (French) through my Mother and Montenegrin through my Father.
But first of all, I'd like to extend my very best wishes to you at the start of this new year, in particular that 2025 will be a decisive year for progress towards this integration, good for the Balkans, good for Peace, good for Europe and good for the planet.
Like you, I'm convinced that the countries that make up the Balkan galaxy are part of Europe, and as such have a legitimate right to join the European Union.
Allow me to share a few thoughts with you.
Balkan: Bal : Poisonous - honey ... Kan: Glutinous - blood
For too long, the name of this group of coveted territories has had a negative connotation. It's time to read this metaphor in a positive light.
Honey (Bal), beyond being poisonous, is the marvelous product of the extraordinary work of the bees that shape our landscapes, ensuring the reproduction and growth of the plant cover that feeds us and beautifies our landscapes.
 
Blood (kan, glutinous), beyond being glutinous, is the precious liquid that ensures our life through the action of the heart. It symbolizes love and generosity. Isn't it the liquid we can offer to save lives.
It's high time to revisit the negative stereotypes (sticky ball / slimy kan) that devalue the benefits of nature, locking us into an endless history of conflict and frustration.
For centuries, Europe has been a battlefield. But after the deadliest conflict in its history, it was able to unite around “values” rather than power.
Beyond economic and geostrategic interests, we share these values, and that's what drives our aspirations to be part of this great project.
For Europe, it is also imperative to integrate the Balkans in order to preserve peace on the continent and strengthen its position in the face of economic imperialism, which recognizes only financial value and threatens our ecosystem and the fragile balance of the world.
While industrialization and technology developed in the West, the time lost in our identity and political conflicts retarded our development and left immense natural territories uncultivated. Today, faced with the challenge of global warming, it's an exceptional heritage that, if preserved and enhanced, can help to balance our continent's overall balance sheet, while also guaranteeing sustainable development for each and every one of them.
Without this shared awareness, and without the support of the EU, it is to be feared that each of our countries will go it alone and fall prey to powerful groups driven solely by profitability.
I'm convinced that, integrated into Europe, our wounds will heal and we'll once again be in the front line, this time in the battle against global warming, no longer looking to the past and our ancestors, but to the future and our children and grandchildren.
Neka bude sto biti ne moze
Let it become what cannot be

ADDRESS OF JEAN-PATRICK CONNERADE, PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, ARTS, AND LETTERS

It was never as important as today to achieve a complete perception of the meaning of the phrase “The European spirit.”

Perhaps it is in periods of crisis that one can best ask this kind of question. Clearly, Europe does not appear as a single entity, or even as a strongly coherent federation. At best, it is a league of independent nations, each one having its own peculiar character, which has evolved over centuries of history. None of our nations today would seek to dominate the others, as might have happened in the past, and all of them agree to respect each one of many different civilisations which confronted each other on our territory. That is why, amongst us, small nations, and even the smallest ones, enjoy as much influence as the others, once they have been recognised as belonging to the European family. We have an even stronger principle : that the most powerful nations of Europe, to display their European Spirit  cannot do better than to make use of their own power to protect smaller nations out of solidarity.

The European Spirit is therefore opposed to any form of hegemony, and with good reason. It is in Europe that Humanism and civil freedoms first appeared. They are backed up by a long tradition, extending much further into the past than the Age of Enlightenment, probably as far as the early Middle Ages. We Europeans have always attempted, not always successfully, but always in good faith, to respect these principles and apply them in the best way possible. When the wrong paths were chosen, we always took arms to resolve the issue and follow the right course.

All this implies that we must guard ourselves from all forms of nationalism. Our nations must be able to recognise their own wrong-doings when there are conflicts between them. This ability, far from being considered a form of weakness, is considered among us as the most important and desirable manifestation of our European Spirit of Humanism.

For all these reasons, Europe is able to welcome  several religions on its territory and to reconcile them, provided only that they accept the principle of living harmoniously and at peace with each other. Similarly, the laws of our countries protect the civil rights of women, because European unity was never achieved by force. We have always been held together in our communities by our shared respect for justice.
That is also why some form of democracy will always appear to us as the most appropriate social and political organization for the peoples of our continent.

Honoring the life and work of Ion Caramitru, the legendary figure in Romania, the Balkans, and Europe, known as the first Minister of Culture after the fall of the Nicolae Ceaușescu regime, an actor and director of the National Theatre in Bucharest, and the first President of Academia Balkanica Europeana, we're proud to announce the establishment of the "Grand Prix Ion Caramitru", an award which will granted annually to individuals with  the exceptional creative achievements in theatre.    

In collaboration with the Romanian Cultural Institute (IRC), recipients of this award are selected by the jury, consisting of three members of ABE:

Jordan Plevnes - President of ABE, theatre author (Macedonia)
Branislav Mičunović-Žaga, - Thetatre director and ex-Minister of culture (Montenegro) 
Gradimir Gojer - Thetatre director, theatrologist (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

First recipient of this award is Tiago Rodrigues,  a Portuguese actor, director, playwright and producer.
His work has been recognized by his ability to break borders between the theatre and different realities, challenging our perception of social and historical phenomenon. Throughout his career, Tiago Rodrigues has become a builder of bridges between cities and countries, at once host and advocate of a living theatre.
 
Since he started as an actor, 25 years ago, Tiago Rodrigues has always looked at the theatre as a human assembly: a place where people meet, like in a cafe, to confront their thoughts and share their time.
He crossed paths with the Belgian company Tg Stan at the age of twenty. There, he developed his acting, his writing for the theatre, and his taste for the collective. As an author and director, he founded the company Mundo Perfeito with Magda Bizarro in 2003 before becoming director of the Teatro Nacional D. Maria II in Lisbon from 2015 to 2021. Combining true stories and fiction and weaving together the intimate and the political, Tiago Rodrigues’s shows are deeply influenced by the idea of writing with and for the actors, and by his quest for a transformation of our conscience through the tools of theatre. His goal is to bring us together to question our world thanks to the power of the words, of the bodies, and of the imagination of the spectators
 
Currently, he is a director of the Festival d’Avignon, an institution he knows well, having presented several shows here, including Antony and Cleopatra in 2015, Sopro in 2017, The Cherry Orchard in 2021, and By heart and Dans la mesure de l’impossible in 2023.
 
   

As part of its program activities, Academia Balkanica Europeana devotes a significant emphasis to the support of initiatives, activities and realization of projects that contribute to raising the level of education and culture in the country and the region.
​
In that direction, with the support of the Ministry of Culture from June 17-19, 2024, an international scientific conference was organized under the title: Contemporary Macedonian musical creation and interpretation 2024.
 
Macedonian musical and stage creativity represents one of the pillars of Macedonian musical creativity, and accordingly, one of the main drivers of musical life in the country. Laying the foundations in the post-war period, which is also characterized by the establishment of modern musical life, the musical-scenic creativity, from then until today, records a series of significant outbursts, through which Macedonian composers present their compositional maturity and creative imagination.
 
The proceedings of this international conference were divided into 3 sessions:
 
Session 1: Contemporary Macedonian Music: Creation and Interpretation - Analysis
Session 2: Aesthetics, Media, Criticism
Session 3: Theatre, directing, dramaturgy, musicology
 
Within the sessions, discussions were devoted to the following areas:
 - The work of contemporary Macedonian composers: Discussion of new musical tendencies and compositional styles in Macedonian music and how it affects the interpretation.
- Musical interpretation in contemporary Macedonian music: Discussion about the challenges and innovations in the interpretation of contemporary Macedonian musical works.
- Contemporary musical instruments and technology: How do new technologies affect the composition and interpretation of Macedonian music?
- Intercultural influences in Macedonian music: How do different cultures and styles affect contemporary Macedonian music and its interpretation?
- Musical educational reform and creativity: How do educational institutions and programs influence the development of young musicians and composers in Macedonia?
- The music industry and the interpretation: A discussion about the role of the music industry in the promotion and interpretation of Macedonian music in a world context.
 
 
At the conference moderated by prof. Darko Marinovski and Prof. Goce Ristovski, with their papers and presentations, a large number of prominent names from the country and abroad in the field of musical stage activities took part, of which it is worth highlighting Dr. Tihomir Jovic, Olga Pango, Elizabeth Kolevska, Danica Stojanova, M.Sc., Vesna Maljanovska, M.Sc., Mirjana Pavlovska-Shulaykovska, M.Sc., Nora Bajrami, etc.

With the thematic exhibition of photographs titled "Youth perspectives from Germany and Macedonia", in the gallery of the Macedonian Cinematheque, on May 15, from 1:00 p.m., the annual event: "THE BALKANS ARE THE HEART OF EUROPE 2024 - Cultural heritage of The Balkans, an integral part of European civilization” was open.
 
At the event, organized by ACADEMIA BALKANICA EUROPEANA, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and in cooperation with the International University Europa Prima from Skopje, young artists from the region presented their performances and works (film presentations, theater plays and other cultural and artistic performances).
 
Academia Balkanica Europeana (www.ab-europeana.org) unites important creators in the fields of culture, science and art from ten Balkan countries, with the aim of enabling the cultural public and young people of the region to discover the themes and challenges of the artistic and the cultural world in its original context.
 
Among the many contents of the event, it is worth highlighting the theatrical performances "Art" by  Jasmina Reza, performed by students from the class of Prof. Dejan Projkovski and the performance of young musical artists from the classes of prof. Aleksandar Trajkovski and Prof. Darko Marinovski.
 
In the three days in which the event took place, there was a master class in photography by prof. Elena Bojadzieva-Cvetkovska, as well as a online master class on directing by the prominent director Getoarbe Mulliqi from Kosovo.
 
Also, within the framework of the manifestation, an international online conference was held, in whith a number of  important intellectuals and creators from  the region, such as Prof. Jordan Plevnes, prof. Aleksandar Prokopiev, prof. Kujtim Çashku, prof. Bashkim Shehu, prof. Ljubomir Kekenovski, etc.

Prof. Dimitar Malidanov, distinguish member of Academia Balkanica Europeana, former professor of the Department of Graphics at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Skopje, and one of the most renowned artists in Macedonia will held a lecture on the topic "The power of a dry needle", on November 10 (Friday), at 12:30 p.m., in Suli an, Skopje.

Dimitar Malidanov was born in 1946 in Sarakinovo - Vodensko, Greece. Graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, Ljubljana, painting, 1972. Master's degree from the Academy of Fine Arts, Ljubljana, graphics, 1975. Specialization: E.N.S. Beaux Arts, Paris, lithograph, 1976/1977. Department of Graphics. He teaches drawing, graphics and graphic techniques, in the first and second cycle of studies.


Study stays: Paris 1976/1977, Moscow 1976, Dresden 2000. Solo exhibitions: Kumanovo, Novi Sad, Bitola, 1975; Zrenjanin, Ljubljana, Maribor 1976; Paris 1977; New York 1979; Bitola 1982; Struga, Sarajevo 1985; Veles 1987; Belgrade, 1990; Ljubljana, Nova Gorica, Piran, 1995; Užice 1997; Strumica 2001; Ljubljana, Ptuj 2002; Ljubljana 2008; Skopje, 1974, 1979, 1985, 1991, 1993, 1996, 2000.

More significant group exhibitions: a total of about 250, including the International Graphic Triennial, Bitola, from 1994; International Graphic Biennale, Ljubljana, 1995; Graphics Triennial, Krakow, 1997; Triennial of graphics, Sofia, 1998; Small Format Biennale, Helsingborg, 2003.
Awards: Award M. Piade at the 4th graphic exhibition of DLUM, 1973; Kliment Ohridski redemption award for graphics, 1975; Redemption prize for graphics, Salon 13. November, Cetinje, 1980; Redemption Award for Graphics, MSU, 1981; 1st prize J.B. Benkovic, 16. Winter Salon Hercegnovi, 1982; Redemption prize for drawing, at MSU, 1983; Award of graphic colony "Smederevo", Subotica, 1989; Redemption award for drawing "Kliment Ohridski", 1989; Prize of the Triennale of Contemporary Yugoslav Graphics, Bitola, 1990; Redemption Award for graphics at MSU, DLUM, 1993; New Macedonia Redemption Award, 1st International Graphic Triennial Bitola, 1994; Premium at the International Graphic Triennial Bitola, 1997; Honorary Award, Biennale of Graphics, Varna, 1995; Grand Prix, Užice Dry Needle Biennale, 1995; Grand Prix, Winter Salon of DLUM, 2000; Recognition of Triennale Chamalieu, 2005; Award "11. October"; Award "13. November".

Resen, July 7, 2023 – The enchanting shores of Prespa  Lake came alive on July 7, 2023, as the Balkans Arts Youth Mobility Network proudly presented the premiere of their much-anticipated theater play, "Happiness is a New Idea in Europe." This groundbreaking production, comprised of young artists from Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Macedonia, promises to be a testament to the collaborative spirit and creative prowess of the Balkans region.
Organized by Academia Balkanica Europeana and held under the distinguished patronage of UNESCO, this event is a highlight at the renowned International Theater Festival "Actor of Europe." The festival, known for celebrating diverse and innovative performances, provides the perfect stage for the debut of this cross-cultural masterpiece.
The play, "Happiness is a New Idea in Europe" by Jordan Plevnesh, explores the intricate tapestry of emotions, traditions, and aspirations that define the European experience, particularly within the context of the Balkans. With a fusion of vibrant storytelling, evocative performances, and the unique perspectives of artists from five different nations, the production is a mesmerizing journey through the shared history and dreams of the Balkan youth.
"The Balkans Arts Youth Mobility Network" represents a new wave of artistic collaboration, bringing together emerging talents from different backgrounds to foster unity and mutual understanding. Their work not only showcases the diversity of the region but also highlights the common threads that connect its people.
Academia Balkanica Europeana, dedicated to promoting cultural exchange and artistic endeavors, is proud to support this initiative, recognizing the power of the arts in bridging gaps and fostering a sense of shared identity. The patronage of UNESCO further underscores the significance of this collaborative effort in promoting cultural diversity and dialogue on a global scale.

As part of its program activities, Academia Balkanica Europeana devotes a significant emphasis to the support of initiatives, activities and realization of projects that contribute to raising the level of education and culture in the country and the region.
In that direction, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, from June 7-9, 2023, an international scientific conference was organized under the title: Contemporary trends in Macedonian music and stage creation.
 
Macedonian musical and stage creativity represents one of the pillars of Macedonian musical creativity, and accordingly, one of the main drivers of musical life in our country. Laying the foundations in the post-war period, which is also characterized by the establishment of modern musical life, the musical-scenic creativity, from then until today, records a series of significant outbursts, through which Macedonian composers present their compositional maturity and creative imagination.
 
The papers of this international conference were devoted to the following areas:
 
- Macedonian operas in the 21st century
- Macedonian ballets in the 21st century
- Macedonian artists in the Macedonian music-stage creation
- The chamber works of contemporary composers
- Vocal-instrumental works in the 21st century
- The aesthetics of musical-scenic works
- Macedonian contemporary creativity on the world stage
 
At the conference moderated by prof. Darko Marinovski and Prof. Goce Ristovski, with their papers and presentations, a large number of prominent names from the country and abroad in the field of musical stage activities took part. 

 
With the exhibition of models and illustrations from animated films under the title "The Balkans in permanent animation", in the gallery of the MMacedonian Cinematheque, on May 10, from 1:00 p.m., the annual event: "THE BALKANS ARE THE HEART OF EUROPE 2023 - The Balkans, a spiritual source of European civilization” will be open.
 
At the event, organized by ACADEMIA BALKANICA EUROPEANA, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and in cooperation with the International University Europa Prima from Skopje, young artists from the region will present their performances and works (film presentations, theater plays and other cultural and artistic performances).
 
Academia Balkanica Europeana (www.ab-europeana.org) unites important creators in the fields of culture, science and art from ten Balkan countries, with the aim of enabling the cultural public and young people of the region to discover the themes and challenges of the artistic and the cultural world in its original context.
 
Among the many contents of the event, it is worth highlighting the theatrical performances "Chekhov's Play" and "Shakespeare Dreams" by students from the class of Prof. Dejan Projkovski and the performance of young musical artists from the classes of prof. Aleksandar Trajkovski and Prof. Darko Marinovski.
 
During the three days in which the event will take place, a master class in animation by prof. Krste Gospodinovski, as well as a online master class on acting by the famous actor and director Laert Vasili.
 
Also, within the framework of the manifestation, an international online conference will be held, in which a number of  important intellectuals and creators from Macedonia and the region will participate, such as Prof. Jordan Plevnes, prof. Aleksandar Prokopiev, prof. Elizabeta Sheleva, prof. Bashkim Shehu, Prof. Haqif Mulliqi, prof. Ljubomir Kekenovski, etc.

,In Sarajevo, on February 23th, 2023, the Gradimir Gojer - Half Century in Theater and Literature Manifestation opens at the Bosniak Institute - Foundation Adil Zulfikarpašić.
The first part presents an exhibition of theatrical material on directing (130 theater plays), overall artistic involvement in the theater, and on literary activity (63 books).
Academician Esad Duraković will open the exhibition with an appropriate speech.
The exhibition will be opened on February 23th, 2023 and will last until March 16th, 2023.
The second part of the Manifestation will present the conversation of Balkan intellectuals about Gojer's work.
The third part will be a promotion of Goyer's recently released trilogy OVER THE BOARD I - III ((Izazovi književnosti, Pirovi kazališta and Skice)
The fourth part of the event will be the promotion of the book by Svetlana Broz: Galaxy Gojer - life and work.

Congratulations to Academician Gojer!
Academia Balkanica Europeana is very proud to announce this event in Sarajevo, dedicated to the half a century creative activity of our member Gradimir Gojer. He's one of the most prominent intellectuals from the Balkan region, and persistent builder of bridges between the cultures and nations, always coming from the perspective of EU integration. He perceives the Balkans, Europe and the entire world, as a field of artistic expression. 
On 29th October 2017, in the Grand Hall of the National Theater Bucharest, he was one of the 17 founders of Academia Balkanica Europeana, and he coveys its spirit in all of his creative endeavors, books, with a firm believe in the motto of  ABE: The Balkans are the Heart of Europe.
Dear Academician, dear brother Gojer,
We cannot be at this event with you in Sarajevo, but with our hearts and minds we're always with you - from here to eternity!

Jean-Patrick Connerade, Honorary President of ABE
Jordan Plevnes, President of ABE 
​

​At the end of January, Georges Banu (1943-2023), one of the biggest names in world’s theater criticism, died suddenly in Paris. His impressive creative oeuvre, in the international echo after his departure, is compared to Victor Hugo's thought about Balzac: In his life he had more works than days!
His author books on Peter Brook, Giorgio Strehler, Antoine Vitez, Ariana Mnushkin, as well as the biographies dedicated to Bertold Brecht, Jerzy Grotowski and Tadeusz Kantor, enter the inimitable anthological reaches of the creative odysseys of these legends of the world theater, that the spirit of Banu knew how to sublimate and leave them as a legacy for future generations. As the long-time president of the World Association of Theater Critics, he cruised all the meridians and in his endless pilgrimage, from the theaters of the world's capitals to the smallest theaters, between Africa and Asia.
His texts about contemporary directors Luc Bondi, Janis Kokos, Christoph Warlikowski, Patrice Chereau, Christian Lupa and others, were written with such a type of erudition that one of the world's most famous directors, Thomas Ostermeier, on the news of Georges Bunu's death, said: Georges Bunu had a unique and inimitable spirit. He accompanied us all with his criticism based on endless love and his character, and in his eyes we read the living archive of the European theater.
Born in Buzau, Romania, his entire academic career, together with his wife Monique Borie-Banu, was spent at the Sorbonne's Institute of Theater Studies and generations of critics and theater scholars, lovers of European and world theater, as former French culture minister Françoise Niessen, will bear the indelible traces of the spirit of Bunu.
Considering his origin, he was, and remained for his entire life, deeply connected with the Balkans and the terzors of its culture. On October 29, 2017 at the National Theater in Bucharest, he was among the seventeen Balkan creators and intellectuals, who founded the Academia Balkanica Europeana, as the first supranational organization that promotes the spiritual memory of the Balkans on a European pedestal.
Macedonia had the honor to welcome him as a guest at Europa Prima University in 2015 and at the International Theater Festival Actor of Europe in 2017, during the announcement of Ion Caramitru and Marcel Bozonnet as Actors of Europe.
Another curiosity connects Georges Banu with Macedonian culture. Shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Banu publishes the encyclopedic issue of the Art Press magazine, which gathers all the world's theater creators under the title: Theater between the past, present and future. In that thematic issue, the first text in French by the then young Macedonian playwright, living in Paris, Jordan Plevnes, was published, with the title: Prohibitions in the theater of the 20th century.
The irony of fate wanted the last text of Georges Bunu to be the foreword in the latest play by Jordan Plevnes, "Cyril and Methodius - who are you?", which will be published by the Parisian publisher "House of Europe and the Orient" in early spring 2023 .
The title of this preface is: "Jordan Plevnes as a planetary writer".
To him be eternal glory!